Charlotte Corday c. 19th century

Curator: Here we have Pierre Guillaume Metzmacher's "Charlotte Corday," housed right here at the Harvard Art Museums. Metzmacher was born in 1815. Editor: Oh, wow, she looks...resolved. Like a porcelain doll about to do something drastic. Curator: Indeed. The print presents Corday, the woman who assassinated Marat, with a certain pre-action stillness. Consider the material conditions of its production; the very act of creating and distributing an image is a political one. Editor: It's interesting how the artist almost romanticizes her. I see defiance, yes, but also a strange, quiet elegance. What does it mean to make an assassin so...beautiful? Curator: The creation and reception of these historical images are deeply intertwined with the social and political structures of their time, and their subsequent interpretations. Editor: Right. It’s not just about the image, but about who's looking, when they're looking, and why. Curator: Exactly. A potent reminder that even history is a constructed material. Editor: So, what seems simple isn’t. It’s complicated! And compelling.